Please Realize That You're Beautiful
by KingKPGlitz
Summary: Chihiro and Alter Ego have a motivational chat with each other.


The faint hum of the laptop was the only signal of life in the darkened room, the whirring almost like a flatline on a heart monitor. Just the mere mention of death sent Chihiro Fujisaki into an uncontrollable bout of shivers; already he'd witnessed three people succumb to the eternal sleep, and the sight of their frozen figures burned into his mind. If the artificial intelligence he was programming worked, no one else had to die. They'd be able to taste freedom and step through the barred doors into the welcoming sunlight again. His eyes began to flutter to a close as he was absorbed in his fantasy, but the glaring light of the laptop monitor wouldn't let him fall asleep just yet. He was almost done-just a few more lines of code and then error checking. Despite his sleep-strained eyes, his fingers typed at the speed of light and he smiled in relief as it was complete. He'd done it.

Shakily, his finger tapped down on the START command, and he joyously watched with tears speckling his eyes as the program flickered to life. A face perfectly mirroring his own popped up on the desktop of the decrepit laptop, and he stared at it with his mouth agape. Both Chihiros shyly peered at each other, unsure of how to begin chatting. It was the Chihiro on screen that eventually spoke up, just as the real Chihiro was about to meekly introduce himself (which would have been silly, as this program was created to be modeled after him anyway).

"You've really done it, Master! You created me after all your hard work," the computer Chihiro piped up, a smile etched on its face. This time tears really did drip down Chihiro's face as he was congratulated, and it seemed like all the lonely nights secluded in the locker room were worth it after all. Ah, he'd forgotten the time in his relief; if he stayed in the locker room much longer, Monobear would grow suspicious!

"Uhm," he mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of his skirt and occasionally glancing up at the pixilated figure on the screen.  
>"Master, I understand. You have to leave, right?" the computerized Chihiro asked, looking only a little dejected. It was a bit sad to leave right when he'd finally created the AI, but he couldn't alert Monobear to its existence with so much on the line.<p>

"Master, come back safely!" it warmly called as Chihiro tucked the laptop inside one of the lockers. He gave it one last wave goodbye and hurried out of the room, remembering to douse his caramel hair in the sink to appear as if he'd actually bathed. As he exited, he could feel the video monitors tracing his every movement down the darkened hallways. Wondering if someone else was roaming the hallways in search of a helpless victim, his legs quivered in fear and he hustled the last stretch towards his room.

Fumbling with his key, he managed to squeeze through the door at long last when it turned in the lock. His body collapsed against the downy blankets heaped on his bed-he hadn't been able to straighten his room lately since he'd been preoccupied with his coding-and he curled up inside the nestled folds of the comforter. Waves of sleepiness hit him almost immediately, and he had no reason to deny his body rest any longer. Content with his day's work, his eyes blinked to a close as he lost himself in dreams that were for once not laced with images of despair.

Sharp pounding on his bedroom door woke Chihiro from his subterranean slumber. Bolting up, he groggily wiped the crust from his eyes and checked himself to see if his clothes were wrinkled. Thank goodness they were fine! A sigh of relief escaped him-he wouldn't know what to do if he'd needed to change clothes. All he had was this outfit and a couple regulatory school uniforms, and no one really wanted to wear those.

He bounced off of the bed and hurriedly rushed to his door, opening it a crack to see who was outside. Not surprisingly, it was their resident hall monitor Ishimaru Kiyotaka here to wake him. Was he late for their daily breakfast in the cafeteria? His question was answered almost immediately when the hall monitor frowned and pointed towards the clock in his room, which indicated it was already an hour past their meeting time.

"Fujisaki-san, you are late for our scheduled meeting! I expected more from you, and here you are skipping along with Oowada-kun!" He scolded, to which Chihiro could only hang his head in shame. Still, it was shocking that Oowada was the only one absent today. Well, without Leon...

Thankfully Ishimaru barked at him to continue towards the cafeteria while he hall monitor searched for the other troublemaker, and he scurried without a fuss. Despair lurked at the edges of his mind at the thought of the redheaded baseball player Leon Kuwata, but he managed to bury those thoughts and lock them away for the time being as he poked his head into the cafeteria. Several faces stared back at him at once, each expression unique towards his arrival.

"Fujisaki-san, thank goodness you're safe! We thought..." A brown-haired boy trailed off, not finishing his sentence because he knew everyone else had been thinking the same thing. Trembling, Chihiro nodded wordlessly and stumbled inside. It easily could have happened to him last night.

"Hmph, if you had been killed we'd at least have something interesting to do," Togami jabbed, the disdainful eyes of the heir trained on Chihiro. "Someone so weak and meaningless is only a hindrance to us." Jaw slightly ajar, the programmer felt tears pricking his eyes at the barbed comment. Weak...yes, he was weak. That was why he'd needed to shamelessly hide himself behind the facade of skirts and blouses, for no one would criticize a girl for her ineptitude. Or at least, that's what he had thought all these years, but now it seems it had caught up to him-these people could see through his shield and expose all his insecurities in a single moment.

"Fujisaki-san isn't weak!" Naegi piped up, his sense of justice as strong as ever. Gratefully, Chihiro blinked his eyes up at the defensive man, although he knew it wasn't true. It was at that time that the remaining two students stepped into the cafeteria-Ishimaru Kiyotaka and Oowada Mondo. Naturally, the hall monitor instantly sensed something was amiss among them and began to scold the shouting students. Heh, he was just like an older brother to them all.

After a thorough lecture by Ishimaru (which no one really took to heart), the students dispersed and flocked to their usual groups: Naegi and Kirigiri suspiciously heading towards the male restroom; Yamada preparing tea for his princess, Celestia; Sakura and Aoi skipping hand-in-hand to the cafeteria; Fukawa creeping behind pillars to stalk Togami back to the library, when really she could have just as easily walked by his side; Hagakure aimlessly peering into his crystal ball; Ishimaru tagging along behind Mondo, bent on watching his every move. That left Chihiro alone to his thoughts. But this didn't get him down, because this also gave him a chance to converse with his newly-created program, which he finally decided to dub as Alter Ego.

As soon as he entered the changing room, he flipped up the screen on the laptop and powered up the device. Since the computer was a bit outdated, it took a few minutes for the screen to finally flicker to life. Settling down in the corner with the device propped up against his knees, he greeted the program cheerily.

"Good morning, Master!" Alter Ego chirped back, its face a perfect reflection of Chihiro staring at the monitor. To think he'd be one of the only programmers ever to create such a beautiful AI! Although, this program was far from perfection-after all, he was the one who had created it. It'd be impossible for such a weakling to forge something so grand. Togami had hit it right on the dot when he'd assessed him at breakfast. Maybe it would be better if he disappeared...

Alter Ego must have sensed something amiss with its master because it peered up at him with perplexity and queried, "Master? Is something wrong?" Chihiro hesitated, debating on whether or not to divulge his insecurities. But the application continued to plead with him until he relented. Pouring out all the details of his past few days with his fellow classmates, Chihiro sniffled and allowed Alter Ego to process the information.

"Master, never say that you will give up like that!" It fiercely rebutted, frightening Chihiro with its unexpected intensity. The program even looked a little enraged at him for the mere notion of surrendering to despair.

"But…" Chihiro wavered, "I'm only hindering our group. I'm the outcast, and I can't even do anything to help us escape! All I am is weak, just like I have been ever since I was a kid. At first I thought that even someone like me could change, but now I see that that could never happen." Eyes downcast, he began to reach for the laptop in order to close it, but Alter Ego apparently did not think the conversation was over. Not by a long shot.

"Master is not weak!" it declared, not even a sliver of hesitation in its words. "Only a strong programmer would be able to create me. And even if it was for a moment, you wanted to change! If you have the will and determination to do it, you will be able to accomplish that goal! So, do not give up, Master!"

Its passionately alleged words rang out in the stunned silence between them. When the dumbfounded Chihiro still didn't utter a word after several minutes, the application nervously fidgeted inside the screen.

"Master, I really want you to realize the fact that you are a strong person. I don't know where your fortitude and self-confidence has gone, but don't worry. You have me here whenever you need a little boost, and you also have them. Your friends."

Alter Ego registered the bewilderment on its creator's face and giggled. Scowling, Chihiro was about to demand an explanation when the program chattered on willingly.

"You may not realize it, Master, but you already have made friends in your fellow classmates. They're deeply rooted in your heart, and your feelings for them have grown into something so powerful. You aren't alone. Not anymore, Master."

Such reassuring words...Chihiro couldn't stop the tears from dripping off his fluttering eyelashes and onto his flushed cheeks. Was he truly not alone anymore? Could he become the secure, tenacious young man he'd been longing for after all this time? Something inside him bubbled up and his body began moving on its own. He spun on his heels and began dashing towards the sauna's exit, intent on seeking out Mondo to begin his transformation. Just before his foot stepped outside the door into the brightly-lit corridor, a faint voice behind him whispered from the fading glow of the laptop screen, "Thank you for bringing me to life, Master. It would make me extremely happy if you could realize your own strength is what brought me here to you."


End file.
